3-2-1: Being great today, what to do when things don’t go well, and favorite type of mental toughness
3 Ideas From Me
I.
“When things don’t go well it’s easy to wonder, “Why me?” It’s easy to point fingers. It’s easy to wallow in frustration or defeat.
But it is also easy to ask, “What is this teaching me?”
You can’t remove the frustrations from life, but you can always try to come out a little wiser on the other side.”
II.
“My favorite type of mental toughness is not forcing one path, but being open to many paths: Whatever comes my way, I can handle it. Whatever resources I have, I can make it work. Whatever the day brings, I can thrive.”
Excellence is in the details
At the peak of its fame, Anthony’s Pier 4 was one of Boston’s top restaurants. It was one of the highest-grossing restaurants in the United States. The man responsible for its success was Anthony Athanas, a self-made immigrant from Albania. He strongly believed in hospitality, hard work and treating every customer like a VIP.
When Athanas opened Pier 4 in the 1960s, it was a bold move. The location — on the edge of Boston Harbor — was not a fashionable destination at the time. But Athanas had a vision: to serve the freshest seafood in the city, accompanied by impeccable service and panoramic waterfront views. He did not just want customers — he wanted loyal fans.
And he got them. Politicians, celebrities and everyday people lined up. Athanas was present nearly every night, greeting guests at the door, remembering names and preferences and checking in on every detail of the experience.
What made Pier 4 exceptional was not just the food, but also the atmosphere. The physical environment was impeccable.
Creating a Weekly MAP to Guide Your Work as a Principal
Early in my career as a principal, most mornings began the same way: emails piling up, teachers stopping by with quick questions, parents calling, and unexpected new deadlines that I didn’t see coming. By midday, I’d realize that I spent the morning doing good things—helping, responding, solving—but hadn’t touched the work that truly moved our school forward: coaching teachers, improving instruction, or planning strategically.
I started experimenting with a process I now call MAP—meeting of alignment and priorities. I needed a way to stay focused and intentional amid the constant movement of school life. As Ryan Matt Reynolds writes in Undoing Urgency, “Urgency is seductive; intentionality is transformative.” That insight captured exactly what I was missing: I wasn’t ignoring urgent tasks, but I was letting them pull me away from the work that mattered most. MAP became my weekly road map—a reflective guide that helped me navigate day-to-day demands of leadership while staying aligned with our school’s greater purpose.
What would happen if undocumented children couldn’t attend public schools?
Plyler’s future is uncertain amid Trump administration scrutiny of federal immigration policies. Republican-led efforts introduced this year in several states have also sought to undermine undocumented children’s access to a free public education.
At least six states including Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho, Indiana and New Jersey introduced related legislation or regulations this year. None of those proposals advanced.
We Asked Executives What Skills Young Workers Are Missing. Here’s What They Said
enior executives from American companies recognize that technical skills are critical for success in the workplace in the age of AI.
But when asked what kinds of skills are in short supply among their younger workers, many point to so-called “soft skills” such as communication, problem-solving, and collaboration. Tack on adaptability, ability to focus, and empathy to that list, too.
Digital literacy—what some might describe as both a technical and a soft skill—is also top of mind for senior executives of American companies.
The top 5 areas where superintendents want to grow
The evolving complexity of the superintendency is forcing leaders to adapt, creating new growth opportunities, the latest research suggests. Here are five ways superintendents want to improve their leadership.
Finance and budget planning (35%) emerged as the No. 1 area for growth among superintendents, according to “The 2025 American Superintendent Study” from The School Superintendents Association. The data represent responses from nearly 12,000 superintendents, almost 90% of the total population nationwide.
In close second was stress management (34.2%), followed by school reform/improvement (29.5%), navigating district politics (26.1%) and school community relations (23.7%).